Looking for the best BFS (Bait Finesse System) reels in 2024? Look no further! In this comprehensive guide, we explore top picks across different budget ranges, from affordable options under $50 to high-end reels priced above $250. Whether you’re a budget-conscious angler or a finesse enthusiast, we’ve got you covered.
🎣 Featured Reels:
Doviello Acura (AKA Solo King/HICC-50/ Silfast): An incredible sub-$50 reel, known for its performance and affordability. Get it on AliExpress for an amazing $36.
Dark Wolf Ultra: Priced at $60 on AliExpress, this Chinese reel has proven its durability and remains a favorite among anglers.
Shimano SLX BFS: A standout in the $100-$150 category, praised for its solid feel and durability. Available at a reasonable price from various sources.
Kingdom Micro Monster: A smooth performer under $100, available with different gear ratios, particularly loved for its overall performance. Grab it for $64.
Haibo Arise Air: Highly recommended in the $100-$150 range, this reel has received favorable reviews and is gaining popularity.
Shimano Calcutta Conquest BFS XG: The pinnacle of BFS reels, offering top-notch technology and performance. Although a bit pricier, its features make it worth the investment.
Daiwa Salamandura: A colorful option in the $150-$250 range, offering the Daiwa character and smoothness. Currently priced at $187 on AliExpress.
Shimano Curado BFS: A reliable choice currently priced at $185, known for its classic look and durable finish.
Daiwa Gekkabijin: A saltwater-rated reel optimized for braid, offering impressive casting distance. Check for availability as it may not be currently listed on Japan L Shop.
Shimano Aldebaran BFS: mentioned in the reel buyer’s guide for its impressive finesse capabilities and durable design. Priced at $294 on Amazon, this reel stands out for its renowned performance and modern features, making it a sought-after choice among finesse anglers.
Daiwa Silver Creek Stream Custom: The most accurate casting reel on the list, it also offers versatile performance in bait finesse fishing. Priced just under $300 at Japan Lure Shop, it’s the ultimate stream angler’s reel.
The Daiwa Steez Air TW: lauded as a high-end baitcasting reel known for its exceptional performance, lightweight design, and smooth operation. With advanced technology and precision engineering, the Steez Air TW is a top-tier choice for anglers seeking finesse and quality in their fishing gear.
Explore the world of BFS reels and elevate your finesse game in 2024! Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned angler, finding the right reel is crucial for a successful fishing experience.
0:00 – Intro
0:15 – Under $50
1:54 – $50-$100
4:04 – $100-$150
9:19 – $150-$250
16:11 – $250+
31:03 – Summary
🔗 Affiliate Links:
Doviello Acura (Solo King/HIC CC50 Acura):
Aliexpress: https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_DEVMnbv
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3Z1tIae
Dark Wolf Ultra:
Aliexpress: https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_A70CYL
Kingdom Micro Monster:
Aliexpress: https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_DdNl6ph
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3NV6i37
Shimano SLX BFS:
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3q6rxFz
Haibo Arise Air:
Aliexpress: https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_DEF4WVB
iFishband Tendershoot:
Aliexpress: https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_DB6eXJD
Flight Feather FF01:
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3vwMz3c
Daiwa Salamandura:
Aliexpress: https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_DB1lz4h
Shimano Curado BFS:
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3CzZim4
Daiwa Gekkabijin:
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3HoNbdz
Shimano Aldebaran:
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3CCEdaZ
Daiwa Silver Creek:
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3ZB9ogG
Shimano Calcutta Conquest BFS XG
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3SgGKiZ
Daiwa Steez Air TW:
Amazon: https://amzn.to/47Ayn6k
Hey there how’s it going today I’m going to share my top picks for BFS reels in 2024 so whether your budget is under $50 or whether you’re just looking for one of the best reels that you can get I think I got you covered in this video so
We’re going to just quickly go over each of the reels this is not in-depth reviews you can find unboxing and full reviews for almost all of them on my channel as well with that being said let’s just jump into the first one and again this is a sub $50 reel and it’s
Just crazy to me that you can find a reel that performs well for under 50 bucks that being said I’m going to give one of these away so stay tuned for how you can enter to win this reel the first reel I want to talk about is the doell
Acura it goes by solo King it’s often called the HIC cc50 Acura this reel is a great re it’s one of what’s commonly known as the Dark Wolf Ultra clones and it’s it’s a great Chinese reel the thing is you can get it on AliExpress right
Now set that down you can get it on AliExpress right now for $36 and I’ve been seeing it in the $30 to $40 range on a regular basis every once in a while it’s rumored to go under 30 with special deals and stuff so again $36 reel it’s
Just incredible that’s almost half of what I paid for mine on sale now what I like about this is I have the the the Dual spool version they they sell a version that has the Deep spool and the shallow spool and even on a shallow even
On the Deep spool this will cast you know 8 ooun jigs just as far as pretty much any other BFS reel so I have used it a good bit with that deeper spool and honestly it’s a very good reel for $60 for sub 50 $36 in this case it’s
Absolutely amazing the second reel I want to talk about is the dark wolf Ultra this particular reel is one of actually it’s the first reel that I bought it’s the second reel that I got just because sometimes shipping from China takes a little bit longer over the
Couple years that I’ve had it it’s done a a ton of good Duty uh you can see it’s a little dirty it’s a little beat up it’s still one of my favorite Chinese reels uh when I bought mine they were in the $70 range right now this one is $60
It looks like so they’re currently $60 on Express it’s a great reel for 60 bucks I don’t know that I’ve personally seen it under $50 so that’s why I have it in in this $50 to $100 category and and there’s another reel in this category as well so that reel is the
Kingdom micro monster I actually don’t have one right now I had one for quite a while I ended up selling it when I was sort of you know downsizing a little bit of the collection last year for me personally it’s the smoothest and and sort of just best overall performing of
The under $100 reels that I’ve used I do think there’s some manufacturing Tolerance on these Chinese reels and so you know maybe some people get the Acura and it’s the best reel they’ve ever they’ve ever used in that category for me it was the micro monster and the
Darkwolf ultra it’s also really good I just felt like the micro monster that I had was a little bit better uh So currently the micro monster is $64 I think that’s the 7.1 there’s an 8.1 gear ratio as well so that’s a cool thing about it there’s a a couple different
Gear ratios I think the Acura has two gear ratios as well uh the darkwolf ultra typically just get the standard gear ratio with that both the Acura and the micro monster they’re really up the same reel they run the same mag trck style brakes but for $64 it’s it’s fantastic and that’s about
The normal price that I’ve been paying for the Acura for the last several weeks it it’s been sub $50 and so I I don’t know know how long that price is going to last but if you get it for that it’s it’s hard to beat if that’s your budget
So now moving into the 100 to $150 category I’m going to start with another reel that I don’t have in my hands right now and I’ll be honest I’ve never fished this reel it’s just I’ve I’ve heard enough about it from people that I trust I will have one in my hands
Here in about a month or so Scott from the Yankee Lipper YouTube channel he has one he says nothing but good things about it Peter Kim has has talked about very favorable it gets just really favorable favorable reviews across the board I almost bought one during the 1111 sale but there was another
Reel that I was more interested in and and it’s just I mean I’m surrounded by reels right now I mean there’s stuff behind me that that doesn’t quite make the cut and there’s more in the garage right so even with all the ones I’m talking about today I I had to make a
Decision and I knew enough about the HBO R air that I’m like okay I I this other reel know what he’s talking about so let’s give it a try instead and I haven’t spent enough time with it yet for it to make this lineup for sure uh
But the HBO arise a right now it is 107 I I typically have seen it in the the2 to $115 range and so when we start talking about reels in that 100 to 150 range there’s not a ton of them uh but the highb orise a is a really good
Option so the second one in that group would be the Shimano SLX BFS so you know this is the first of maybe the the big name brands that that you can get your hands on I have been thoroughly impressed by this I when I go out on the
Kayak it’s always with me um now part of that is the the Shimano SLX BFS it comes in a slower gear ratio than many so I was able to pick this up in a 6.2 I think the gear ratio is 6.3 to1 gear ratio and at that gear
Ratio it it allows me to it’s a little bit easier to go slower so for things with like paddle tails and crankbaits I I I absolutely love this and because when I’m on the kayak I’m always throwing a paddle tail of some sort this is always with me but the thing is it
Just performs uh it it to my eye it almost still looks brand new even though it’s been one of my most fished reels over the last 6 months so it it holds up great you know sometimes that’s some of the difference you can get from some of
The the more premium reels you pay a little bit more you get more durable finishes you get you know they just they don’t feel as plasticky right they don’t feel as cheap this reel feels very solid it’s based on the same platform as the as the Shimano curado uh BFS and and
Hint we’ll be talking about that one here shortly but you can pick it up from Japan at at a pretty good price right now the SLX BFS looks like it’s 144 from digitaka uh that’s with free shipping so that’s pretty much the price that you’re going to pay so it’s right under that
150 Mark it’s the first Shimano or daa uh you know big name in the list and honestly I have nothing bad to say about it you know maybe the one thing is it doesn’t out of the box it’s not going to cast below two gam so keep that in mind
But it performs well on pretty much everything up above that so shiman SLX BFS absolutely love it the other reel in the 100 to 150 range is the iish band tnder shoot this reel has been a real pleasure we you know when it first came out you know the photos League people
Were talking about it I don’t know N9 months ago the big question was is like okay well that looks a lot like a Kolkata Conquest BFS you know which is a $350 reel or so I wonder how much it’s going to cost so to include it in this
100 to 150 range I think it’s it’s absolutely great some people don’t like the the brake adjustment but I tell you what what I found is once I got it dialed in I don’t have to adjust it whatsoever it’s a very reliable fishing Tool uh it feels great in the hand it’s
It’s handled everything that I’ve thrown out thrown at it and I’m sure I’ve had a couple backlashes but I can’t remember any so if you want that classic look uh and at about 60% off from from what you’re going to pay for you know a comparable Shimano the iish band tender
Shoot I I think it’s been fantastic if you buy from AliExpress they’re currently about $130 from bait finesse Empire they’ve actually crept up a little bit in price and when they first came out actually bait finesse Empire was cheaper than where I bought it from in China and
Everybody who bought those like a week after I bought mine had it a week or two before I did I I actually I waited forever for mine now that I think about it even though baate finesse Empire it’s $5 more than 150 for Speed I it might be
Worth doing it and honestly they’re a great organization so uh I’ll keep it in this 100 to 150 but know that at times when baate finesse Empire has it in stock you’re going to get a lot faster and you just pay a little bit of a of a
Premium for that the next category is 150 to 250 and honestly when I first got into BFS a few years ago there wasn’t much at all in this category so the idea that I can now give you three solid options in the 150 to to 250 category I
I think I think that’s huge progress and all of these are are good reels in my experience one or two of them could be considered great reels if they fit your application let’s start first with the no flight feather so when I first saw this reel I thought they’re going right after
The Shimano alaron uh at the time the alaron was the lightest reel on the market at um just under 135 G the flight feather came in I think at 125 is is where they came in at now there’s been now there’s been this race down and so I
I don’t even know what the lightest reel is on the market right now but there’s a handful of Chinese reels that have gotten down into the teens uh and maybe there’s somebody sub 110 G at this point which is like 4 o or something actually that maybe three and
A half but anyway metric system is hard for Americans right so the flight feather this is sold Prim primarily in the United States by no uh they they make a lot of tungsten weights they might be the official distributor in the US like sole official distributor cuz I
Haven’t seen on on too many more American websites the cool thing is is their price is competitive with the other people who sell it overseas so I applaud them for that this reel you know it’s again it’s very similar to the Alder Baron in some ways
Uh I have found that the brakes are a little touchy it’s only got a like a 3 G spool so it’s it’s a very lightweight spool but it can cast really lightweights it you can get really good distance out of this reel but what I
Found is is like you do need to work the brakes on this a little bit so once you get it dialed in for a weight if you go from like a a 1 G or 75 G lore to even a 2 G lure you you may need to make sure
That you adjust the spool tension and maybe the brakes a little bit um otherwise you’ll get penalized that has been my experience with it but it’s it’s it’s been a smooth reel it’s been nice to use it’s lightweight whether you like the color or not that’s that’s that can be a a polarizing
Question but for 169 I think this is a really solid offering out in the marketplace so the second reel in the 150 to 250 range is the daa salamand dura uh this one also is a very colorful option probably made more so by the yellow braid that I have on there right
Now I I got to tell you what with with with this coloration you know between the the the maroon the black the little bit of a gold accent I it’s pretty darn sexy to be honest with you uh and it’s going to look great on just about every
Rod you can throw it on the daa salamand dura is essentially an Asian market tatula 70 uh but the air model has the shallow spool with the air braking system and which is essentially the SV braking system so the Tula 70 SV and the uh salamand dur air
Tww they essentially have the the same braking system uh which makes this a very capable performing reel similar to the tatula one of the weird things is so many reels have have the uh have have some sort of mechanism to release the side plate so that you can get in uh and
Pull the spool and do do other things for the salamand dur you’ve got to unscrew it to to get it off th this might be the best candidate that I’ve come across for for skipping BFS LS and hint that’s one of the things I’ll be working on this year with it but it’s
Just it’s got the Dao character it’s got the Dao of smoothness at a more budget price currently on AliExpress this is going for 187 now I got to tell you I picked this up for 1118 during the 1111 sale but I but I’ve never seen it that
Cheap uh before or since so that’s why I’m keeping it in the in the 150 to 250 range uh prices may be creeping up a little bit on it you know when it first came out it was 150 and I didn’t buy it last summer when it came
Out then in the fall it was like 171 to 175 it went on the big sale there for for in November uh which is when I picked it up and now it’s at 187 but even at 187 I I think it’s a great reel because you know the the next di reel
That I’m going to talk about is is above the 250 Mark so it’s it’s a a really good option so the third reel in the 150 to 250 range is the Shimano curado BFS so this is another reel that is actually a US market reel like you you really
Don’t see this for sale on any of the Asian websites so it has a few more bearings than the SLX which is built on the same platform uh it’s got a different treatment I use the curado BFS as kind of one of my power BFS reels so
Current the rod that it’s on uh it’s it’s one of my 3x rods uh I often fish it on something heavier than than this but I’ve got a Buzz bait on there right now so once the weather gets cold you know I’m throwing I’m really throwing a ton more finesse
Stuff so I don’t normally pull that out because it it really doesn’t cast well down below two G and so if I’m going to throw something that’s around to I I might as well go with one of the other handful of reels that I have that’s much
More capable of it but the Shimano curado BFS I was kind of surprised when I bought mine a year and a half ago it was $200 then I’d been seeing it at 209 and that’s sort of where I when I planned this video that’s what it was
But here right now it’s on sale for 185 on Amazon and so that’s a phenomenal price and you know at the same price which one of these would I choose I think it depends I mean if you want to cast the lightest weight possible you probably go with the flight feather if
You want arguably the best brakes with that gives you the ability to to maybe do a little bit more my other experience with the di was is for the most part they’re set it and forget it once you get them dialed in which is easier than the Shimano
Braking system uh they they seem to handle uh handle themselves very well and I and I hardly ever touch the brakes but if you want something that’s definitely feels a little bit stronger and and has a little bit more feels like it just has a little bit more guts to it
Will handle a little bit higher weight into the into the power BFS I’d go with the curado all day or if you just want something from one of the major Market resellers that’s sold here in the US and so it’s got all the warranty backing and
All that stuff that go with the curado as well so then that takes me to the final five reels that I wanted to talk about this is the 250 and above category actually with the with the price changes that 150 to 250 category all three of
The reels that I talked about are below 200 right now so there’s still this gap between you know 200 and 250 Plus for the most part I think eventually there will be solid options at like every 25 or $50 price point as bait finesse becomes more and more popular because people are
Starting to realize that you know sometimes it’s a big bait that’s going to catch the big fish and sometimes the only way you’re going to get the big fish is with a really small presentation and that’s where bait finessing excels uh and I I also like the the flexibility
Of bait finesse to allow me to pursue bass pursue trout panish whatever with the same setups and so I I just Bay finesse has been amazing so let’s talk about what I think are are probably the best bait finesse reels out there that you can get right now the first one is
The Shimano alaron BFS you know a lot of times when people say what’s the best BFS reel this is one of the first things that people think about Shimano is really the pioneer of bait finesse system it’s why a lot of their reels say
BF on them and you don’t see BFS on any other major manufacturers reels uh because Shimano coined the term and that’s really their their name for this ultr light bait casting system so the alaron once it gets dialed in it’s absolutely an amazing reel it can cast
One G it I’ve thrown I’ve thrown Whopper plopper 90s on it which are like 17 G and it handles it just fine I’ve caught huge fish on it I’ve caught got tiny fish on it up until recently I would have said hands down the alaron BFS is
My favorite BFS reel but as I Was preparing for this I started to realize that you know I really haven’t fished it a ton over the last 6 months or so I mean it’s it’s with me quite often it does hold a place on one of my kler hunt
Series bait finesse rods but it’s not the first combo that I go to pick up and I haven’t put it on sort of my two favorite rods at this point because it’s not that it’s bad it’s just that it has maybe slipped just a slight bit compared
To a couple other reels but that being said the alaron BFS can be bought for about 263 out of Japan right now $263 uh I I do think the list price in the US was slated to be $400 uh let’s just check this real quick
Okay so I thought it was going to be $400 if I look on Taco Warehouse right now it’s $469 you know a lot of people they don’t like to to to shop overseas uh and so when you order from places like Japan L shop or digitaka and and AliExpress
Where you know half of the information at times isn’t in English uh it it can be a little unnerving and I get that so the cool thing is a lot of these are also available on on Amazon and I’ll have links down below uh to to where I where I would buy these
From but also if they are sold on Amazon I’ll have that link as well so if we look here right now the the Acura is $67 and this is where I bought mine at actually and it’s about the same price that I paid when it was on sale before
So you can get the the the Acura for 66 instead of 36 and so uh the kingdom micro monster you can get it for 75 instead of uh whatever was it 68 but there are a lot of bait finesse reels available on Amazon these days so
If I just look for BFS reels in general you can pick up the Shimano alaron for $294 on Amazon now it does say it’s going to ship out of Japan right but you’re still buying it from the US Amazon Seller and so it’s no different than you know anything that’s like non
Prime although it says it’s Prime and it actually says I’ll have it in three days so I that’s pretty impressive so for you know like Tackle Warehouse to to to sell it for 470 I’m just I I I still don’t understand what the deal is there uh the
Flight feather sold by no on Amazon as well so uh you know that’s where I recommend to buy it um the SLX BFS is also available on Amazon for 165 instead of the I can’t remember what it was 143 or something something like that so you
Can buy a lot of bait finesse reels from Amazon these days because it’s becoming more popular so again if there’s Amazon links I’ll have those as well so just just know that you know if that’s something that bothers you ordering from overseas then you’ll just limit some of
Your choices but that’s fine because all of these are great reels so the next reel in this premium setup is the daa geeka bean now this is a reel that I’ve also had for I know over a year and a half now and when I first got it I was sort
Of like yeah okay I mean it’s it’s super smooth uh I I love the way Everything feels it cast a mile honestly I i’ I’d be surprised if any of the reels that I have cast farther than this reel uh just I mean the the first time I threw like a
1 and a half gram chb rig on it for trout I was just like I was shocked how far this thing was casting but when I when I first use it I even said like it just there’s nothing to it like it’s just it’s kind of boring like it’s it
Doesn’t have any character but here’s the thing over that year and a half it has gradually become arguably my favorite reel uh and I I’ve always been a Shimano guy growing up and so for me to be like man this this daa you know i’ I’ve fished 3/4 gr trout flies with this
And and and not just cast them right I’ve actually caught fish on them with this and then literally without changing the brake settings thrown a 5 G jerk bait on it uh and and continued to fish it has become sort of my go-to lightweight reel I you know when I’m
When I want to throw a range in on my 4X rods you this is the Reel that sits on you know my preferred setup I thought at first maybe the you know the with the green Rod the black and red reel may not um it may not look quite right but it
Looks phenomenal so it’s a little more expensive right now it’s 273 uh on digitaka every once in a while Japan Lop has had them on sale I don’t see them on Japan L Shop’s site right now so I’m I’m not sure what that means for the future of this but it’s
Saltwater rated it’s it’s optimized for braid it does have a narrower and shallower spool even if you just look at them you know here side by side I I think you can see that this is a good bit narrower uh and the the way it’s set
Up than like the the Salamon Dura uh and and quite frankly just about any other reel that I have as well you know it’s uh it it so because of that if you if you want to fish something other than braid you you may be limited in line
Capacity and some people will swap in a different daa spool uh and have had success with it I’m not big into modifying my reels much so I I you know I fish them as as intended but if I’m honest this has become probably my favorite reel uh and it’s got a little
Bit of the Battle Scars to show it still doesn’t look bad but it definitely has some weere so the next reel is another di one and this one I don’t want to say it’s a specialist but it is designed for something special right so this is the
Silver Creek stream custom uh 8.5 air tww uh one of the longest names in in fishing reels out there I think it’s got some old school looks I TP LLY fish this on a glass rod from majorcraft I bought it specifically to Target trout there are times when just
The way I want to fish the places I want to fish this is the Reel what this has going for it is it’s the most accurate repeatable casting reel that I’ve had it’s not the longest casting uh whereas a lot of the other daa air BFS systems
They have a the way the rotor works it moves and so it controls the cast more it’s why I think the the the salamand dur will be great for a skipping reel this has a fixed rotor which may also make it a really good candidate to throw
Out in the summer when I’m not going for trout maybe I turn this into one that that skips Jigs and stuff like that because this still has my longest bass I’ve ever caught not the heaviest at this point but the the longest bass I caught in moving water right shortly
After I bought the reel to be honest with cuz I just want to see like okay well how does it handle Smallmouth I know it’s like I want to use it for trout and it it did phenomenal uh and I just surprisingly caught a 22in large
Mouth bass uh he was a little on the thin side but he was still a heck of a fight so I these are not cork these are some sort of plastic made to look like cork but I’ve never I’ve never felt like oh I these would be so much better if
They were cork they probably would be a little bit better but i’ I’ve never lost grip on it or anything this reel has also been fished a ton it hasn’t seen quite as much use lately as once the the geeka bean started moving into being a sort of a primary
Trout rod for me this is the most repeatable most accurate casting BFS reel that I’ve used and if you you know so small streams accuracy is the most important thing to you I think this is your reel I think for many people this is the ultimate bait finesse reel this is the
Shimano Kolkata K con this is the Shimano Kolkata Conquest BFS XG in this case so not much shorter or long anyway I thought this one was long this one’s just as long as well this has the round reel looks it’s a lot heavier than most of the other reels on
This um but I don’t notice the weight the the way it fits in the hand it just ergonomically I think this is a phenomenally designed reel now if it was a bigger 100 or 200 series round reel I I may not feel that way but I think this
Is ultimately like a 50 Series reel it is very smooth uh highly refined I’ve had minimal problem with casting the the only real significant backlash that I had on this when I was out fishing the shann andoa river I got a bite and I’d been talking and I I
Hadn’t moved my hand yet and I got a bite right when the right when the lore started sinking when I set the hook I opened the spool and and it it did give me a significant burden Nest at that point to the point where I switched rods
That’s that’s how bad it was again my eyes aren’t great but one of the challenges that you get it’s very tight in here so when you get a big backlash sometimes it’s a little hard to pick out uh and it’s almost easier just to to you
Know remove the spool uh from the from the the frame in the event you get one but that was the only real big backlash that I had the only other one I can remember was I went to cast and I caught weeds behind me on a trout stream I was
Using a 6’8 rod and where normally I probably would have been throwing a six um and so I had a little backlash then but it it pulled right out this reel is amazing it’s very smooth I love it um but you know now we’re adding a 100
Bucks to the price uh because actually I didn’t talk about the so the price of the Silver Creek uh Japan lore shop right now it’s 42,4 yen uh so what’s that mean in dollars well if you just go to Google and say you know what’s the yen to
Dollar conversion you can pop it right in and you’ll see that that Silver Creek is $294 basically so it’s a little more than the geab bean um but again it’s it’s a very specialized reel that also handles regular situations well as long as you’re not looking for maximum
Casting distance you if you’re a bank angler and you’re fishing lakes and stuff that’s probably not your real so when we start thinking about the Kolkata Conquest you know now we’re we’re up in the game a little bit more in price it’s currently $340 on digitaka I think I saw this on
Amazon as Well this is also on Amazon for only $400 so it’s you know $27 premium it’s about the same premium as you’re paying for you know the the cheap $35 reel but in this case it’s a it’s a small percentage of the total cost instead of doubling the cost it’s just a small
Small amount you know again if you don’t want to order it from overseas uh for whatever reason and you’d rather order through Amazon it’s still coming from overseas but at least you know you’re ordering from a known entity that you’re more comfortable with you you don’t pay
That much of a premium for it uh so this is fantastic again I think for many people it’s it’s the Cadillac of reg readily available reels you know we can get into customs and all that other stuff but just off-the-shelf reels uh that are modern and you have all the
Modern conveniences this is fantastic the last reel I want to talk about is one that I’ll probably get eventually I haven’t fished it when I was putting together this list of the best bait finesse reels when you start saying well money’s No Object I’ll spend what I need
To to get the best reel and understanding how much the daa line has grown on me uh as as a whole I think it’s worth looking into the daa stees let me get the name right the air tww now I think there’s a possibility that a
New steas comes out this year uh this this reel is now 4 years old as I said I don’t have one but my buddy John from John’s Fishing Journeys on YouTube uh he has one absolutely loves it again at some point I’m going to buy one it’s
Currently going for 460 on digitaka I almost pulled the trigger on one semilocally at the end of last year it was around 390 used so they hold their their value pretty well and honestly they’re just for me they’re hard to find on the used Market in general so the daa
Ste air it might be the Pinnacle of bait finesse fishing but honestly it’s it’s different than this I’d be surprised if the performance was any better than this even in smoothness it might have an edge and casting distance uh just because of of I know
How the gecko beun does and and they are at least similar reels technology- wise so that’s my Roundup of the best bait finesse reels you can get here in 2024 talked about a giveaway it’s pretty simple standard YouTube stuff right like the video make sure you’re subscribed
Leave a comment down below now if you’re a big fan of the channel and you want to share this somewhere on Facebook or Reddit or something like that send it to your buddy to check out that would help me as well and I’d greatly appreciate it so we’ll do that giveaway probably in
March uh and I think that’ll give plenty of people that you know I appreciate all you guys who watch this on on day one in the first first week but these are the kind of videos that over the next month or two as people start planning to buy gear for for the
Year they’re they’re going to watch this video and so I’m I’m going to give them a little bit of time to make sure that they can they can be part of it as well you know so so we’ll do the giveaway sometime in March still be well before
The fishing season uh really gets rolling when you leave your comment let me know like what’s your favorite reel out of the group uh and did did I did I omit your favorite if I did there’s a reason right um this is just my opinion
Like this is my opinion of these are the best reels that I’ve used and in a couple cases I haven’t used them but I I I have enough feedback from people that I trust I hope you enjoyed this if you get out and do a little bit of fishing
Here in the winter time I hope you have a great successful day I’m planning a trip here 2 days from now and I’m still trying to get out once a week all through the winter and all these reels that they make an appearance one way or the other so thanks for watching I’ll
See you next time

20 Comments
Great review and great line up of BFS reels. I currently own the Shimano BFS and Aldebaran BFS and am looking for one more but can’t decide on expensive or middle of the road. You’ve shown us some good choices in all categories. I do like the Calcutta.
I'm a saltwater angler so I am interested in what can be used/not used in sea water. Thanks for the content!
For the Moneys no object bfs reel I’d like the Shimano Cardiff 50s DC
Great content, appreciate the breakdown. Just getting into the BFS world and I think I am going to get the Flight Feather as my first reel.
What is your favorite BFs reel for micro poppers and say f4 ultra light Rapala jerkbaits???
i just herd about BFS and it sonds really fun and i have ben looking around for a nice reel and your videos have halped a lot cant what to see who wins the give away
I tested the aldebaran and calcutta. I like aldebaran better because when if cold outside i cannot fish calcutta due to aluminum body. On the other hand it is magnificent and good looking reel. Cheap reels i hesitate to buy, am i missing something with those cheap reels?
My favorite reel is still the shimano Aldebaran 22 for all around BFS
Glad I have found your channel…Just getting into BFS fishing and great information.
Hey for the soloking HICC50 your link to aliexpress says that version is for saltwater, but it would it be fine for freshwater? Any difference in performance?
Your channel has helped me identify the right gear for me. I went with the Soloking Acura as I want to remain on the lower end of the budget. Congratulations on all your success.
What bfs reel casts the lightest weight? I have a kastking zephyr and a couple bfs reels off temu but I was wanting to invest in one that could throw the lightest weight possible
Daiwa Gekkabijin would be my vote for the giveaway. I’ll take one! 😊
Out of your list I’d have to say that my favorites would be a tie between the Gekkabijin and the Conquest. I love them both, but for different reasons. I think my current all around favorite BFS reel though has to be the new Daiwa SS Air.
I pretty much all the reels you mentioned except Shimano Calcutta Conquest BFS XG love to have one of those. but lost my job 3 months ago and there's no sight of getting it!!!
Soloking still number 1 for price to quality ratio for me. I got the double spool for 30 bucks last summer. I just bought the updated version with single spool for 35. For the price of a Walmart ozark trail baitcaster I can fling tiny lures quite a distance and Now I can keep a bfs set up in every car. Haha. I got the haibo arise, still playing with it but for the price I feel like there are better options. Still feels plasticy at over 100 bucks. And I switched out the handle immediately, felt terrible with the skinny knobs. The SLX bfs is definitely my favorite for power bfs. It’s solid as far as build quality. Definitely worth the price.
Glad to see so many reasonably priced reel opinions these days. BFS is slowly getting a foothold since Covid first struck. More people fishing and increased fishing pressure created a valuable niche for BFS here in the US.
Great video Aaron. The 20' Alphas Air TW spool fit perfectly in the Gekkabijin. I swap them out if I want more line capacity. Works great.
I would probably settle down to Shimano Aldebaran BFS 2016-2021 model.
I recently lost the my setup into a lake..and I ll eventually get exactly the same no hesitation.
I'm think I'm gonna get into baitcasting. Thanks for the info!